RIP to Dropcams, Nest Secure: Google shutting down servers next year

In a post on the official Google Nest community page, Google announced that it will be shutting down the service for several older Nest smart home products. Most of them haven’t sold in years, but since all that hardware is cloud-tethered, shutting down the servers will turn them into useless bricks. The good news is that Google is offering existing users upgrade suggestions for supported hardware.

First up is Dropcam, which Nest and Google acquired in 2014 for $555 million and eventually turned into the Nest Cam line. Dropcam (and Dropcam Pro) servers are ending support on April 8, 2024, with Google saying “Dropcam will no longer work after this date and you will no longer be able to use your Nest app to check your status.”Video clips are stored online, so Google adds, “If you want to keep your video history, download and save it before this date.”

Nest replaced the Dropcam line in 2015, so these cameras are all about 8 years old. Nest promises five years of support for its own products. However, Google doesn’t just cull these users; it offers discounts on new Nest Cams if they want to continue with the Google ecosystem. Google says that if users are currently subscribed to Nest Aware, they will receive a free Nest Cam wired home camera (worth $100). Nest Aware is a $6 or $9 monthly subscription that lets you record camera video and store it online. Since that subscription fee will match the price of the Nest Cam in a year or two, it makes sense for Google to try to keep the subscription revenue going. If you don’t have a Nest Aware subscription, Google is offering a 50 percent discount on the Nest Cam wired indoor camera.

(While I would suggest you throw off the shackles of Google’s always boisterous walled garden and buy something that doesn’t charge a monthly fee or depend on the cloud. There’s a range of camera models, but there are plenty of options. Nest cameras simply don’t offer anything to justify a monthly fee, and that gives them a high overall cost.)

Next on the Nest cutting board is the Nest Secure. It was a $500 home security system with a keypad, window and door sensors, motion detectors, and a presence sensor on the key chain. Google has disabled the hardware in 2020, but will continue to support existing devices until the same day as Dropcam: April 8, 2024. Google says that from this date, “your Nest Secure will no longer work. It will not be available on the Nest app and will work.”do not connect to the Internet.”

When Google originally announced the cancellation of Nest Secure, it promised to support the device until at least November 2022 – exactly five years after its November 2017 release – but now it’s getting 6.5 years of support.

Nest Secure owners are offered a free upgrade to the new ADT system – Google calls it “up to $485”- though you’ll have to do a lot of new installation work, replacing every sensor and component to get it up and running. Another option is a $200 Google Store credit. If you qualify for discounts on Nest Secure or Dropcams, Google will notify you via email. There is also a recycling program for your dead products.

Nest’s “Works with Nest”smart home ecosystem has also finally received a closing date: September 29, 2023. “Works with Nest”was the original Nest smart home ecosystem, allowing you to change the thermostat when you leave the house, or allow third party apps to control your Nest system. Third party devices can also connect to this system and interact in some way with your thermostat, cameras, or smoke detector.

Works with Nest received a death sentence in 2019 and has been on Google’s death row ever since. Google originally wanted to close Works with Nest in August 2019 but delayed it due to public outcry. Google still blocked Works with Nest from adding new devices in August 2019, so any system has been lame since then. If something breaks, you’re out of luck and unable to replace it.

At the time, Google wanted Nest users to switch to the “Works with Google Assistant”ecosystem, which is the same core idea of ​​smart home communication, but without the “not invented here”baggage of the acquired Nest system. It uses a Google account instead of a Nest account, has different hardware compatibility, and most importantly, allows you to control devices with your voice. Of course, Google Assistant also seems to have lost priority in Google, so Works with Google Assistant is no longer called Works with Google Assistant; now it’s called Works with Google Home“. But “Google Home”does not refer to the original Google Home product, which was a smart speaker. This line has been removed and replaced with Nest Audio speakers. “Google Home”now means the app that controls your smart devices, so “Works with Google Home”means you’ll see it in the app. The Nest app, which can also control some Nest devices, is being gradually replaced by the Google Home app.